


Friends Forever

by Kiterie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-05
Updated: 2010-11-08
Packaged: 2017-11-28 04:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/670302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiterie/pseuds/Kiterie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Izumo and Kotetsu being friends was inevitable and it will never change, but how did it get it's start?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friends From The Start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [durgasdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/durgasdragon/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendship is born between cohorts when Izumo and Kotetsu escape from class.

Izumo frowned and slumped in his chair, watching the teacher walk back and forth while she went on and on about the rules of shinobi. This was the third time this week that she'd given this particular lecture and he was beginning to wonder if the old hag was going senile. Admittedly nearly half the class had failed the test but the lecture was BORING! He closed his eyes and thunked his head against the desk behind him.

"Hey wanna get outta here?

He cracked one eye open and then the other, staring at the spiky, brown-haired boy that sat behind him, the one with the bandage stretched over his nose. "Kuh... Ko..." he fumbled, trying to remember the other's name.

"Ko's fine," the boy laughed then winced.

Izumo felt his cheeks warm.

Ko leaned forward. “Rule one, never have any fun,” he whispered mimicking their teacher’s voice.

Snickering, Izumo tried to come up with a counter. “Rule two, keep the stick firmly implanted.”

It earned a small laugh, but a huge smile. “Wanna hang out later?”

Izumo nodded then sat up, his eyes going wide when he realized his teacher storming over towards them.

"Do the two of you find it funny that we're only three weeks into class and the both of you have both failed the initial exams twice now or do you simply find the rules that guide us as shinobi _funny_?"

"No Shimizu-sensei. Sorry Shimizu-sensei," They responded in unison.

It hadn’t even been much of a laugh, but Izumo wasn’t about to point that out.

The vein in her forehead pulsed and faced flushed with obvious irritation, the left eyebrow twitching slightly. "Then _SIT_ in your seat the _right_ way and _pay attention_!" She slammed a hand down on Izumo's desk.

He jumped slightly, but a part of him had to resist laughing all over again. She looked funny when she was mad. Izumo bit his lip to keep from smiling.

She narrowed her eyes at him and then looked up and behind him, obviously aiming it at Ko this time. After a long moment she turned and stormed back to the front of the class and began writing on the board, immediately continuing the lecture.

Izumo scrunched up his nose and sulked. "Couldn't we do something more practical like learning jutsu..." he muttered.

"Psst."

Izumo looked at his teacher who's back was still turned and then over his shoulder.

"Here." Ko held a piece of paper out.

Izumo grabbed it and unfolded it. A small pill rolled onto his desk. Covering it with one hand he read the note scrawled in messy handwriting.

_Izumo~_

_Take this. It'll make you throw up. I’ll sneak out while you distract her. Meet you in the bathroom._

_~Kotetsu_

Picking up the tablet Izumo looked at it. It meant getting out of another boring lecture, and it was really nice outside... He shrugged them popped it in his mouth. It only took a few minutes for him to start feeling the effects. "Shimizu-sensei..." 

His teacher turned and looked at him, eyes narrowed. "What now?"

"I don't feel so good." He stood up and walked down the steps towards the front of the classroom, swaying side to side.

"You had better not be faking," she growled.

He managed to hold it in until he got to her desk then his stomach twisted violently and he threw his lunch up all over her desk.

Shimizu jumped backwards. "Ack! Get to the bathroom and then go see the nurse! Somebody go find the janitor to clean this up!"

Izumo ducked out of the classroom and turned towards the bathroom with a barely contained smile on his lips.


	2. Cry Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best friends get each other into trouble, get each other’s backs, and they never break promises.

Izumo shifted and looked at the pill. “Are you sure we won’t get into trouble?”

Shaking his head, Kotetsu laughed. “You’ll really throw up so they can’t say that you’re faking. If anyone gets into trouble it’ll be me. We’re on lunch so they’ll just think you ate something that made you sick.”

“We have a test tomorrow though and... I don’t want to fail.” The first time they’d done it, he hadn’t seen it as a big deal because the teacher was just lecturing them and that was boring. The second time they’d had a substitute teacher who didn’t even know what they were supposed to be studying, and the third time, class had almost been over anyway.

“Aw, come on Izumo, it’s not like you can’t pass it in your sleep.” Kotetsu stuck his lip out and looked at him with puppy eyes. “Please, I can’t take sitting in class anymore....”

“But...” The guilt he felt over skipping was quickly becoming outweighed by the fact that he wanted to hang out with his new best friend.

Kotetsu bit his lip and furrowed his brow then grinned. “We can go to one of the practice fields and you can help me study!”

Izumo chewed his lip and looked back toward the classroom. “Well...”

“Pleeeeease...” The lip was stuck back out.

“Fine but you really have to study.” That would mean it wasn’t completely bad for them to skip.

Their teacher came out and whistled to signal the end of lunch and for them all to start heading back inside.

Izumo stuck the capsule between his teeth and held it there as they headed back towards the building. He waited until the were within sight of her before swallowing it. Like before it only took a moment before the nausea hit him and he bent over and threw up all over the grass.

Kotetsu grabbed his arm and steadied him. “Shimizu-sensei! Izumo threw up again!” He pulled Izumo off towards the front door, which would be closest to the nurse’s office. “I’ll take him to the nurse...”

There was a crackle of chakra, and a second later, Shimizu had both boys’ collars in her grip. “Oh no you won’t. I’m onto the two of you.” She pulled back towards the side door. “You’re going to make up all the time you’ve missed--” she paused long enough to shove them through the doorway,”--in detention.”

Once they reached the classroom she shoved them into desks in the front row, the rest of the class filing in behind them. “Empty out your pockets.”

They did, covering the table with string, practice weapons, toys, a bottle of green goo, and other random things. The pills that Kotetsu had been sneaking Izumo did not however appear among the debris.

Shimizu grabbed the trashcan and swept everything into it. “I don’t know what you’re doing but you’re not going to be doing it in my class anymore.”

Izumo sighed, puffing out his cheeks and blowing the air out through pouting lips. His stomach still hurt and his mouth tasted like vomit which made it that much worse.

Kotetsu leaned close and tilted his head. “Sorry. Hey you okay?” he asked, whispering.

Smiling, Izumo nodded then winced. His head hurt and the motion made his vision swim slightly. He rubbed his eyes and it helped. “Yeah I’m fine, just dizzy from throwing up.”

“Quiet you two. I put you down here so I could keep you two from plotting, don’t make me separate you two.” Shimizu glared at them as she passed out papers detailing the human chakra system then continued around the classroom explaining how to fill out the sheet as she handed them out to the rest of the class.

Anko leaned forward and poked them both with pencils. “Here.” She grinned as she handed the two pencils over. “By the way, you two are awesome,” she whispered.

“We got caught.” It didn’t seem like that could be very awesome to Izumo.

She continued to grin at them despite the obvious point that Izumo had made. “Yeah, but you got away with it three times, that’s awesome.”

“I can’t believe we got caught,” Kotetsu muttered scribbling his name on his paper.

“You guys just did the same trick too many times too close together,” Anko explained.

Kotetsu rubbed a hand over his face. “Ah... yeah that make sense.”

“What are you three whispering about now?” Shimizu asked coming up beside Anko.

Izumo jumped slightly then grabbed his head. “Ah...”

Anko grinned and rubbed the back of her head. “I was just loaning them my pencil, Shimizu-sensei.”

She frowned for a moment then walked down the steps to the front of the class and continued explaining the intricacies of the chakra system. Picking up a piece of chalk Shimizu quickly sketched the picture on their paper out on the board then started pointing out the eight gates and how they related to a person’s chakra paths.

The lines wavered, sparkling, and Izumo rubbed his eyes again then held his head when that only seemed to make it worse. He shook his head though it didn’t help either and forced himself to concentrate on the assignment.

Kotetsu poked him lightly in the ribs. “Hey Izumo.”

“Hm?” He didn’t look over, too busy trying to write his name.

“Shimizu-sensei... Izumo doesn’t look so good.” Ko’s voice pitched slightly higher.

The teacher didn’t bother to even turn around. “Oh please, you think I’m going to fall for that again? You two are just trying to get out of classwork.”

“But sensei... he _really_ doesn’t look...” Ko pleaded.

Izumo turned to smile at Kotetsu, wondering what he was up to and why he sounded so worried. “Ko...” His vision swam again and he slipped out his chair, it seemed slower than it should have and the loud ‘thunk’ seemed out of place in the otherwise quiet classroom.

“Izumo!”

Blinking, Izumo groaned and tried force his eyes to stay open. His head hurt and he whimpered slightly reaching up to rub it.

“Are you alright Izumo?”

“I _told_ you he wasn’t okay!”

“Hush, Kotetsu.”

He still couldn’t keep his eyes open and whenever he got them open things were blurry and he couldn’t focus his eyes. The most he could figure out was that the teacher and Kotetsu were sitting next to him. He thought he saw other people but they were even more blurry. “My head hurts...” Izumo whined.

“I suspect you have a migraine, Izumo-kun. Are your parents home? I could send for them to come get you?” Shimizu asked.

They’d been gone for two weeks now but that wasn’t unusual, he could take care of himself. “Mission.”

“I’ll take him home,” Kotetsu interjected. It wasn’t an offer; it was stated without room for argument.

“Well...” Shimizu hesitated. “I suppose, but I’m sending a note to your parents so take him to your house and they can check on you two there. If I find out this is some kind of ruse again the two of you will be cleaning the academy for the rest of the year.”

Kotetsu helped Izumo sit up and then waited for a moment before getting him to his feet, slinging one of Izumo’s arms over his shoulders and tucking his own around Izumo’s waist.

They headed out the door, stopping every now and then so Izumo could catch his breath and keep from throwing up. “Thanks Ko.”

“Sorry, if ya know... if uhm... the stuff I gave you made you...” 

Izumo shook his head then swallowed hard when that made him nearly throw up again. “Can’t be that, it didn’t do it before.”

“Sucks bein’ sick when your parents are gone. It’s okay though cuz you can stay with me and I’ll take care of you.” Kotetsu tightened his arm around Izumo then pushed the main door open and pulled him outside.

“You don’t have to.”

“Of course I do, you’re my best friend.” Kotetsu grinned and squeezed him lightly. “That’s what we do, next time you’ll have to take care of my ass.” 

Izumo grinned back. “I will. I promise.”


	3. Friends From The Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumo’s sick and Kotetsu’s worried but has it all happened before?

Fingers brushed through his hair and Izumo whined then snuggled a little closer to Kotetsu on the couch. His head felt like it was going to explode and every time he moved or opened his eyes he wanted to scream. It hurt so bad and even though Ko had made him take stuff for it, it didn’t help. He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. Crying made it worse but he couldn’t help it.

“Shh... it’ll be okay Izumo. My mom will be home soon and she’ll make you feel better, I promise,” Kotetsu whispered, hugging him tighter.

They laid there for what seemed like forever before Izumo heard the front door open and Kotetsu pulled away. He whined again and clutched at his friends shirt. It wasn’t that the whispering or the petting of his hair made his head hurt less but it was comforting especially since he really wanted his parents right then.

“I’ll be right back,” Kotetsu whispered, unfurling Izumo’s fingers from his shirt.

“Oh, so you boys really are here?” The voice was melodic and definitely female.

“Yeah, Mom, Izumo’s head hurts really bad. I don’t know what to do...” His voice held a worried whine. “And now he’s got a fever and... and... it’s all my fault...” Kotetsu words wavered and then broke off into sobs.

“Shh... I’m sure that’s not true. Come on let’s go see what we can do.”

The soft pat of bare feet against wood sounded in the hall and even when they approached, Izumo didn’t open his eyes or uncurl from the tight little ball he’d unconsciously drawn himself into.

“Izumo-kun...” The woman cooed softly. “I need you to sit up for me.”

The idea of moving even a little was even painful, like his brain was protesting the suggestion of it entirely. “I don’t want to... it hurts...”

“I promise I can make it stop hurting if you do.”

“She really can,” Kotetsu assured, sniffling.

Izumo whimpered but pushed his hands under him and forced himself up, the motion itself was dizzying and he wasn’t even halfway up when his stomach inverted itself and he threw up all over again. He started crying in earnest both because it made his head hurt that much more and because of the embarrassment it caused. Rational or not when it was a prank to get out of school it had been different.

“Ko-chan go get some rags and some soapy water.” 

Sniffling, Izumo hung his head, still refusing to actually open his eyes, and knowing it would hurt if he did.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it hurts to open your eyes doesn’t it?” she asked softly.

His chest shuddered slightly as he tried to suppress the tears. “Mmhm...”

Hagane-san brushed her fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ear. “I need you to open them for a moment and tell me if you see sparkles or dark spots. You just have to do it long enough to do that for me and then you can close them again okay?”

Swallowing, Izumo forced his eyes open. It was harder than he’d realized and hurt as much as he knew it would. Black hair and black eyes swam into view for a moment but he couldn’t get his eyes to focus and closed them. Even after he closed his eyes Izumo could still see the blobs and sparkles she’d mentioned floating behind his eyelids. “Am I going blind?”

Stroking his hair, Hagane-san chuckled. “No, you’ll be fine, you just have a migraine. Izumi-chan used to get them too.”

“You--” he sniffed and his voice shook, “--know my mom?” As long as he didn’t move he could _almost_ pretend it didn’t hurt, but every time he sniffed it felt like his brain was on fire.

She laughed again. “Mmhm, she was my best friend when we were your age right up until you and Ko were about a year old. Your mom got migraines a lot and I know a magic trick to make them go away.”

The steady pad of feet and sloshing of water gave away Kotetsu’s arrival. “So it’s not my fault?”

“Of course not, more than likely it was just poor timing.”

A wet rag was wiped over Izumo’s hands and face then down the front of his shirt. The cool water against his skin felt nice and at the same time made him realize how hot he felt. He wanted to lay back down and not get up again but when he shifted to do so he felt Kotetsu’s hands grab his shoulders, steadying him and keeping sitting up.

“Izumo-kun I need you to hold as still as possible while I do what I need to, to make your head stop hurting.” Her hand slid around one of his wrist.

Izumo did what he was told, although he felt like he was swaying slightly despite his best attempts to remain upright and still. A moment later a needle pricked his skin near his thumb. It surprised him but it was nothing compared to the pounding in his head so he held still. She did the same to the other hand then removed his socks and inserted one beside each big toe. Two more beside each eye and on either side of his nose. He could feel them standing out against his skin and wondered how he looked right then. The needles were twisted and slowly the aching in his skull ebbed until it was no worse than a headache caused by crying for too long.

“You’re still running a fever so Kotetsu is going to go get you some water and some medicine to bring it down.” Hagane-san spoke softly as she removed each of the long needles.

Kotetsu released his shoulders and the weight beside him on the couch shifted. He was still a little afraid to open his eyes, the overwhelming fear that despite what she’d said he’d be blind. “Thank you, Hagane-san.”

“You can open your eyes now little one,” she chuckled. “And please, Kotone is fine.”

Taking a deep breath, he held it for a moment, then opened his eyes. His vision was still a little off but it was already better. Izumo let out the breath he’d been holding. He watched her lay each of the needles out on a scroll and then seal them into it before tucking it away. “Why aren’t you and my mom friends anymore?”

“I am still her friend, Izumi-chan and I will _always_ be friends just as I’m sure you and Ko-chan will be.” She smiled and pulled his pant legs back down. “Our paths simply took different directions for awhile, somehow they appear to be crossing again. Speaking of which, _you_ are staying here until they return. I’ll let whoever has been looking after you know, but there is no reason for you not to be within my reach if you’re having migraines.” Kotone chuckled and stood up. “There’s no reason for you not to even if you weren’t.”

“REALLY! He can stay here!” Kotetsu crowed as he came back into the room.

Izumo winced slightly at the over-excited yelling. “Ow.”

Ducking his head, Kotetsu held the water and the aspirin out. “Sorry.”

Kotone patted her son on his head. “Mmhm... he needs to get some rest so why don’t you take him to your room and get him something to change into so he can sleep.”

Even though his head still hurt and he felt kind of miserable otherwise, Izumo smiled. He didn’t like staying by himself with just the downstairs landlady there. Even sick, staying with Kotetsu would the best thing ever.


	4. Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotetsu's worries about Izumo’s parents not liking him.

Kotetsu stared out his window, watching the flitting shadows in the starlit sky. Izumo was already asleep beside him, one arm thrown across Ko’s stomach. The last three nights had been the same.

A shadow passed by the door to his room then stopped. “Are you still awake?”

“What if they don’t like me or they think it was my fault of Izu-kun got sick or what if… what if…” Kotetsu looked at his dad. “What if they don’t want us to be friends because I got him into trouble?”

His dad snickered. “I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.”

“But how do you know?” He’d gotten him into trouble three times. It was always his idea, always him egging Izumo into the mischief. “I got him into detention.” The word came out with dread.

That drew another laugh, this time the sound was echoed by a second one at the foot of his bed. The sound a higher pitch than his dad’s. “I assure you Kotetsu, my son is not nearly as innocent as you seem to think.”

Kotetsu’s gaze shot to nin who had suddenly appeared in his room. She looked a lot like Izumo, especially the smile.

Izumo shifted, murmured something then blinked his eyes open. “Mom?”

“I’m home.” She sat down on the edge of the bed, petting Izumo’s head. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” He rolled over and wrapped his arms around her.

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

The new voice came from beside his dad, drawing Kotetsu attention. His mother and a man who was obviously Izumo’s dad stood in the doorway. Beside him Izumo shook his head no. Disappointment flashed through him, but Kotetsu understood.

Izumi scooped her son up and handed him off to her husband then came back over and crouched beside Kotetsu. “Thank you for watching out for Izu-kun.” She brushed a hand through his hair. “And as long as you do that, we could never hate you.” Then she turned and headed of the door.

He nodded. She didn’t have to ask him to look out for Izumo, he would, always. It was a promise that didn’t have to voiced to be true. With his worries assuaged he snuggled into his blankets and was asleep before the light in hallway went out.


	5. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting for parents to come home is easier when you have a friend looking out for you.

Sitting against the wall and staring out the main gate, Kotetsu fidgeted with the bandana.

Izumo sat down beside him and held out a stick of grilled eel. “Don’t worry, they’ll come home.” He leaned against Ko and laid his head on his shoulder.

“I know.” Ko didn’t take the eel, just continued tracing the leaf pattern on the metal plate. “But they’re late. Why are they late?” His eyes never left the road just outside the gates.

Izumo knew that his friend was trying to will them to appear. It was becoming a habit after nearly a week, and he’d said more than once that he kept thinking if he closed his eyes for a moment then he’d open them, and they’d be there. Izumo knew how it felt, when his own parents were gone it was like if you could just blink they’d be coming through the gate. 

“Hmm...” he hummed, considering the best thing to say. They knew the possibilities, they knew the other knew, and saying them would only serve to make them seem more real. “I bet... they stopped to get you a present because the weather was bad and they got held up so they thought ‘Oh we should make it up to Ko when we get back with a present so he won’t be mad at us for being late’.” Izumo waved the stick again. “If you don’t eat and you starve to death they’ll feel bad and then you won’t get a present because uhm...” He scratched his chin, mimicking his own dad thinking. “They’ll forget if they’re worried about getting you to the hospital before you die of starvation.”

Kotetsu stared at him a moment, blinked, then burst out laughing. “Fine, I’ll eat.” He took the stick and took a dramatically large bite. “Mmappy?” He chewed for a few moments then swallowed a large chunk. “See--” he opened his mouth to show the remaining chewed up bits, “I’m eating it.”

Laughing at him, Izumo nodded. “Yeah.” It bothered him that Kotetsu didn’t seem to be eating unless he brought him food and actually made sure he ate it, but he’d do it every meal, every day, until his friend’s parents came home if that’s what it took. He grinned then reached over and tapped the metal plate on the bandana. “Besides they promised they’d come back and everyone knows you can’t break promises.”


	6. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kyuubi attack took a lot, but not everything and Kotetsu holds onto what he has left.

The tears had stopped some time ago, if only because for the moment he couldn’t cry anymore. Kotetsu stared at the wall, feeling empty and broken. His stomach was knotted and his face hurt from all the crying.

The news had swept through the caves and even though no one had announced anything, they had heard the whispers from the adults standing guard. That was the first sign they had, seeing the adults’ faces, they had known then it was bad. Not all of their classmates had been there, Iruka had been brought in by an ANBU, but then the protective barrier had gone up and nobody else had arrived. Iruka had been bawling and the adults had moved him to another part of the cave, that had been the second sign.

It was nearly morning before they were told, before they knew for sure what was going on. They had found out then some of those who hadn’t made it. They hadn’t been the first to be told. He had thought… that somebody would come get him and Izumo. Then he’d thought that they couldn’t because they were busy with the rescue, but then more scrolls with names had come in.

A medic that wasn’t a shinobi looked him over. A flashlight was shone in his eyes. She told him to follow her finger, but he just looked away. She ran her hands over his head, lifted his arms, turned his head. She asked him questions he didn’t really hear and didn’t know if he’d answered, couldn’t remember answering.

Then she’d moved on to Izumo with the same routine. He watched the whole thing, staring blankly and wondering how Izumo got the words out.

The whole time he just sat there, feeling dead, knowing he wasn’t, not sure if he wanted to be. Then Izumo snuggled up to him, sliding under his arm and hugging him and suddenly the tears started again. That was all it took - Izumo there and real and alive - and he was glad he wasn’t dead. He couldn’t leave Izumo alone, he had to watch out for him the way Izumi had told him to. So even though they were… gone and never coming back. Even though his parents were and their apartment was buried under the rubble and fire with everything he’d ever known he was glad he wasn’t.

He pulled Izumo closer. He would never leave him, not for anything.


	7. Big Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumo doesn't understand what the big deal about a kiss is.

Izumo tightened the bandana and ran to catch up with his best friend despite the fact that Kotetsu had refused to talk to him since lunch. "Ko, wait up!"

He didn't turn around and actually visibly slammed his feet harder against the street. "Leave me alone!"

"Why are you mad at me?" Izumo asked, still chasing him and pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

Kotetsu didn't stop, he just kept stomping ahead, not waiting for his friend. "Hmph."

Izumo frowned, slowly thinking things over. Everything had been fine up until Anko had grabbed him, pushed him against the tree, and kissed him during lunch. "Are you mad because Anko kissed me?"

Kotetsu stormed off in the direction of his house. "No!"

Running to catch up, Izumo grabbed his friend's arm. "It's not like it was a big deal. She kissed me and it was kind of gross, all slobbery and it tasted like teriyaki." It really hadn't been a good kiss and while Anko was fun sometimes her kissing him was just plain weird in his opinion.

"NO!" Kotetsu yanked his arm away turned and headed away again.

"Do you like her or something?" The words just slipped out but the second they were gone Izumo's chest tightened painfully. He stopped and stared after his best friend. "I didn't kiss her, she kissed me! If you like her, it's okay, I don't like her!" Swallowing hard he pushed the hurt feeling away. 'It's not fair if Ko is mad at me for that. I didn't know he liked her and _I_ didn't kiss _her_.'

Kotetsu stopped and turned around, his shoulders shaking slightly. "I don't like Anko! I don't care if you do or not! I don't care if she kissed you! I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!"

Eyes wide, Izumo stood there staring. "Why are you mad at me then? What did I do?" His voice shook slightly.

The tense lines of Kotetsu face softened then sniffed and looked away. "It's a big deal because we do _everything_ together and she kissed _you_... that's not together."

"Oh." Izumo frowned slightly then walked over. The 'solution' hit him and his cheeks warmed but he smiled. "That's all?" He didn't wait for Kotetsu to answer though just leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ko's. It felt different than it had with Anko but he figured that had to do with it being Ko. He was a guy, they were best friends, and he was 'Ko'. The way his heart raced, Izumo assumed, had to do with the running and the fact that he was relieved he wasn't going to lose his best friend, he couldn't lose him. The way his stomach flipped was just nerves because he thought he had or thought Kotetsu might hit him. He broke the kiss then pulled back and smiled brightly. 

Kotetsu's eyes were so wide they looked as though they might pop out and his cheeks flushed to a bright red. After a moment he shook his head then narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow. "Why'd you kiss me?"

"She kissed me and I kissed you so _there_ she kissed you too just not directly." Izumo's cheeks burned even more and he laughed nervously.

"Oh... yeah I guess that makes sense." The confused look didn't change much, it just softened slightly and he smiled.

"So--" Izumo swallowed hard, "--we're friends again?"

Grinning, Kotetsu through his arms around Izumo, knocking them both to the ground. "Always."


	8. Forever The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotetsu was completely fine with everything staying exactly the same

Kotetsu wondered who had been the first person to say it. It must have been Anko. He was pretty sure she had figured it out first, but he wasn’t sure if it was before or after she’d kissed Izumo. She had teased him after about being jealous, but she hadn’t specified who he was supposed to be jealous of. That might have been the first time.

Kurenai though, she had asked him what he would do if Izumo got a girlfriend. He hadn’t known and she hadn't asked him if he would get one or what Izumo would do if he did. He couldn’t remember now if that had been before the thing with Anko and Ko wasn’t sure if that was why or if she just didn’t think he would get a girlfriend.

Then they’d been goofing around and Iruka had yelled at them to either get a room or get back to work. It seemed to be the first time anyone had directly implied they were fooling around in more ways than the obvious.

He was pretty sure Iruka hadn’t gone around making gossip of it, so he wasn’t sure why everyone seemed to think they were more than just best friends.

Tsunade though had taken to outright teasing them. She also refused to believe they weren’t and when either one of them protested she would smile and pat them on their head.

They weren’t, and Kotetsu always protested it when Tsunade said anything, but more because Izumo did. Ko knew how he felt, the jealous anger he’d felt when Anko had kissed Izumo when they were teens had given it away. Neither one of them dated and he never brought it up. When anyone flirted with Izumo he just found ways to distract Izumo or make it so Izumo didn’t have time for a date. Not that it really ever seemed to be an issue because Izumo never pursued anything with anyone. If anything he had seemed oblivious to the fact he was so damn cute that half the single population of Konoha would probably jump at the chance to date him. Ko was perfectly content with it staying that way.

He was completely fine with everything staying exactly the same forever. Almost. Except sometimes when Zumo was asleep on his chest - because even with separate rooms they never slept apart - he really wanted to kiss him and sometimes... he did.


	9. Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things change in a moment and yet they never do.

Izumo shifted then bit his lip and tried not to move. He could feel the flush on his cheeks and hoped Kotetsu wouldn’t wake up. It was just a normal morning response but the fact that their legs were tangled together meant he could feel Kotetsu’s erection through the fabric of their pajamas. Each little shift sent shocks of pleasure through him and could feel the damp spot from on the front of his pants where the head of his cock pushed against the fabric.

For all his attempts to remain still it did him no good when Ko shifted. The motion sent a shiver up his spine and heat pooling low in his groin. Gasping he pressed his face harder against his best friend’s chest to muffle the sound and curled his fingers in the blue fabric of Kotetsu’s shirt. Even breathing seemed to cause noticeable amounts of movement.

Wrapped in Kotetsu’s arms and pressed up against his chest the way he was, Izumo could hear his heartbeat, slow and even with sleep while his own raced frantically.

He knew then he was a horrible friend and Kotetsu should and probably would hate him but he couldn’t help it he arched his hips very slightly and rubbed himself against his best friend. His best friend who would be horrified if he woke up to find Izumo grinding against him. It felt so good though and his heart raced even faster until it was thudding so loudly in his ears he was positive it would wake Kotetsu up.

Izumo squeezed his eyes shut and resisted the urge to reach down and touch himself or Kotetsu. Rocking and grinding against him felt so good though, _even_ through the fabric. He focused on keeping his breathing as even as possible in the false hope that if Ko woke up he could pretend he’d been sleeping and not doing what he was doing. _’Please don’t wake up. Please please pleeease don’t wake up,’_ he chanted to himself mentally. 

It was all he could do to keep from pushing harder against Ko with his balls drawn up tight with need. The wet spot was a _lot_ bigger and the wetness of the fabric only added to the friction driving him crazy.

Kotetsu ground back against him in his sleep and moaned softly.

That little bit of motion, that one sound was all it took to push him over the edge. Izumo came and he gasped, the cum trapped by his pants coated the inside front of them making the wet spot significantly larger and sticky. “Ko...” he moaned then horrified bit back the sound at the realization of what he’d just done.

He pushed himself out of Kotetsu’s arms and dashed frantically for the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he slid to the floor and pulled his knees up to his chest. The tears poured down his cheeks and he buried his face against his arms. Kotetsu was his best friend and he’d just _violated_ him without even thinking about it. He was a horrible, horrible person and he knew it. “Why did I do that? Why didn’t I just go to the bathroom?” he sniffed through the stream of tears.

“Zumo... hey open the door,” Kotetsu pleaded from the other side of the door. “Izumo please... I’m sorry. Please just open the door.”

The sound of his voice grabbed Izumo’s attention and it hit him that his frantic escape must have woken him up. He couldn’t do it though, he couldn’t open the door and tell Kotetsu what he’d done, couldn’t face the consequences, couldn’t take knowing Kotetsu hated him. Clutching his knees even harder, Izumo rubbed his face on them and bawled harder.

The door shifted slightly and then was yanked open entirely, sliding on its grooves despite Izumo leaning against it. Startled he fell over backwards, his arms flailing slightly.

Kotetsu leaned over him and pressed their foreheads together, his fingers wiping the tears from Izumo’s cheeks. “I’m sorry... please don’t hate me... please don’t cry... I was asleep. I didn’t mean to, I promise. Just please, please don’t hate me.”

Izumo sniffed, his chest shuddering, he stared up at the spikes of Kotetsu’s hair and the ceiling beyond. He couldn’t figure out what Kotetsu meant, _Ko_ hadn’t done anything but he was too tired and confused to make sense of it or argue. Giving into the confusion and pain, he pushed Kotetsu back enough to roll over then crawled onto his lap and slid his arms around Ko’s waist.

They sat there on the floor not moving or talking for a while, long enough his pants started to dry and stick to him which made him itch slightly. Izumo shifted a little but didn’t pull away, he was still sniffling like a little kid and uncomfortable or not he didn’t want to move. 

Kotetsu let out a long breath then swallowed audibly. “Izumo...”

He knew he should say something, explain, but he couldn’t. His voice seemed stuck in his throat. Kotetsu’s earlier words were starting to sink in and he was fairly sure he knew what Ko had meant which made him feel even worse. Knowing Kotetsu thought it was his fault when he’d been the one asleep made Izumo feel even more like trash. Izumo took a deep breath, he knew he _had_ to tell him. “It- uh- it--” he stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper, “--was me. I- I was awake...” His cheeks burned with the confession as incomplete as it was. “I- I couldn’t help it.” He should have, it was a pathetic excuse and he knew it. “I know I shouldn’t have but- but I woke up and- and you.. and it’s just... it felt good and I didn’t think and I’m sorry.” The rest of the words just stumbling out of his mouth sounded stupid and inexcusable even to own ears.

Kotetsu stiffened then started laughing.

Izumo leaned back and stared at him, feeling utterly confused by the response. His embarrassment was momentarily forgotten in light of his trying to figure out why Kotetsu was laughing at him. “What? Ko...”

Still laughing, Kotetsu pulled him close and hugged him, burying his face against Izumo’s neck.

Izumo squeaked but didn’t fight the snuggling. “Ko?” he asked weakly, still baffled.

It was a while before Kotetsu stop giggling like a little kid but when he finally did pull back he was grinning. “I love you, Izumo.”

“I know...” He knew that, they were best friends and now that he was sure Kotetsu didn’t hate him for what he’d done he wasn’t questioning it. Questioning it or not he didn’t really understand why that had sent Kotetsu into a fit of laughter.

“No, no, no you don’t get it,” Kotetsu corrected him, shaking his head. He pushed Izumo back far enough to look at him directly. “I _love_ you, more than anyone or anything. You’re the most important person to me in the whole village, in the whole world.” His cheeks flushed a bright red as he spoke. “I’ve been trying _so_ hard not to do something wrong...” He dropped his head and looked up at Izumo, his cheeks glowing brightly. “You know— uh, like what you did. I didn’t mean to laugh at you, but it’s just...”

Izumo could feel his eyes growing wider the more Kotetsu talked and he opened his mouth, but wasn’t quite sure what to say. Kotetsu was _his_ most important person too but he had simply never considered what that meant. He’d never had a crush, never been ‘interested’ in anyone, but up until then he hadn’t thought of Ko that way either. He hadn’t thought about it at all really.

Kotetsu looked away, his cheeks darkening even more. “It doesn’t mean you have to like me that way or anything like that... I just... you don’t- have to feel bad- for- _that_.”

Cheeks burning, Izumo leaned over and kissed Kotetsu’s cheek. Given what he’d done it shouldn’t have been such a big deal but it was. It was a bigger deal than the first time he’d kissed Ko, and that had been on the lips. 

Turning to look at him, Kotetsu stared for a moment then smiled.

“I love you too,” Izumo whispered, his cheeks hot and his heart racing then he snuggled against him again. He was too embarrassed to look at him and at the same time he didn’t want to let go of him. It felt to him like everything had changed but at the same time that nothing had.


End file.
